The weekend starts here – gigs, films, festivals & more

Friday 1 July

Kolorádó Festival 2022
The prime bash promoting an alternative lifestyle and music, Kolorádó takes place between 29 June and 2 July, “at the border between Budapest and nature”, ie Adyliget just past the city limits. While the programme can be easily divided between musical (UK techno DJ Ben Sims, London rockers Black Midi, Brooklyn house DJ Octo Octa) and non- (theatre, dance, yoga and an escape room), everyone’s here for the sounds and the Sziget-like-it-used-to-be vibe. Shuttle buses run from Hűvösvölgy tram terminal or the nearer Adyliget bus stop on the 63 route, a 15-minute walk away. The exact location is the Sztrilich Pál Cserkészpark, a scout camp. See here for transport details. More details 

Mihály Víg & strings
Hungary’s most wondrous songsmith, best known for his work on the soundtracks of Béla Tarr’s films and alternative band Balaton, performs his most moving and melancholic tunes, accompanied by cellist Endre Wood and violinist György Andrea. More details 

Saturday 2 July

Monet, Gauguin, Pissarro in the Gallery
The first section of the two-part exhibition, From Delacroix to Vasarely, is the subject of a guided tour in English being offered by the Hungarian National Gallery on Saturday 9 July. Over the course of an hour, Monet, Gauguin, Pissarro in the Gallery will cover Late Romanticism to Symbolism. Buy admission (HUF 1,500) by adding a supplement to your standard entrance ticket for temporary exhibitions. More details

Beethoven in the Park
The traditional series of Beethoven concerts by the Hungarian National Philharmonic at Martonvásár starts on Saturday, 2 July, with the Coriolan Overture, Violin Concerto in D major and Symphony No.2 in D major. The composer visited Brunszvik Castle and the family of the same name on several occasions in the early 1800s and these summer concerts have long been popular. The soloist for the concert, the globetrotting virtuoso and renowned chamber musician Ernő Kállai, studied at Budapest’s Liszt Academy and at the Juilliard School in New York. Balázs Kocsár is a prominent member of the middle generation of Hungarian conductors and the chief music director of the Hungarian State Opera. More details

Erik Sumo Band
All kinds of projects can be linked to the name of Ambrus Tövisházi, who initiated the Erik Sumo Band in 2005. The band is preparing for this year's new album with a renewed membership, including stalwarts Edina Kutzora and Erzsi Kiss who front the group on stage. Next to and behind them are musicians Gergely Gáspár, Gergely Drapos, Ádám Mészáros and István Pápai, who are partly members of the Péterfy Bori & Love Band, also dreamed up by Ambrus. More details

Sunday 3 July

Exhibition on Screen: The Strange World of Hieronymus Bosch
First shown in the artist's home town of 's-Hertogenbosch in 2016 to mark the 500th anniversary of his death, the Exhibition on Screen series features contributions from curators and critics to allow the viewer to deepen their understanding of Hieronymus Bosch and discover what might have inspired his strange, demonic creations. One contributor is film director Peter Greenaway. In English with Hungarian subtitles, on 3, 9 and 16 July. Tied in with the major Bosch exhibition currently on display at the Museum of Fine Arts. More details

Henri Matisse – The Colour of Ideas
Held in collaboration with the Pompidou Centre in Paris, this exhibition features more than 150 artefacts, presenting Matisse's work in eight chronological and themed sections, from the early days to pieces created in the 1950s. The exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts also sheds light on the genre diversity of Matisse's oeuvre, as in addition to around 30 paintings, unique and duplicated graphic works (with special regard to art books and cover designs) and 17 sculptures are also on display. In a separate section, you can see the monumental glass window designs created for the artist's late main work, the Dominican chapel in Vence. See our full feature about the exhibition here. More details